Coronavirus: Young people are at the origin of the spread of COVID-19, warns WHO

The World Health Organization warned this week that young people are behind the spread of the novel coronavirus because they don’t know if they are carriers of the virus, reports CNBC.

• Young people are considered people in their twenties, thirties and forties, according to the WHO.

Many young people are considered asymptomatic or have mild symptoms of COVID-19, which means they are transmitting the virus without even knowing they even had it, Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, reports CNBC.

“This increases the risk of spillover to the most vulnerable, the elderly, the sick in long-term care, people who live in densely populated urban areas and underserved rural areas.” – Kasai said.

There were 6 million cases from February 24 to July 12. Data from these cases showed an increase in cases among children and youth, according to Al Jazeera.

• Children aged 0 to 4 increased from 0.3% to 2.2%.
• 5 to 14 year olds went from 0.8% to 4.6%
• Those aged 15 to 24 jumped from 4.5% to 15%.

“Although we are seeing differences between regions, we are seeing a steady shift towards younger people reported among COVID-19 cases,” WHO told Al Jazeera.